Dôle Balavaud Grand Cru

Dôle is a well known Valaisian red wine, not a grape variety as such, rather a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay (and occasionally with a very small percentage of other grapes). To qualify as Dôle, natural sugar levels in the constituent grapes must pass certain levels. However, within this simple definition there is a wide variety of offerings. The ratio of the two varieties varies from 51% Pinot Noir, 49% Gamay through to 100% Pinot Noir. Generally speaking, the wines with higher proportions of Pinot Noir are better and as we follow the river Rhône westwards towards Lake Geneva, the proportion of Pinot Noir gradually decreases. Also, since 1993 growers have been allowed to add 10% of other grape types. There is speculation as to whether this is a good thing with optimists contending that the addition of varieties such as Syrah will improve overall quality - time will tell. Dôle can vary in quality from a light insipid confected wine right through to lovely complex and long lasting examples - serious stuff indeed. The best examples are from the area around Chamoson and Sierre.